Unexpected situation on the opening night of the Can Gio Whale Festival 2024
Báo Tiền Phong•17/09/2024
TPO - The Can Gio Whale Festival, which opened on the evening of September 16, was shortened in both duration and scale, and incorporated fundraising activities to support people affected by storm No. 3.
On the evening of September 16, the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City coordinated with the People's Committee of Can Gio District to organize the opening ceremony of the Whale Festival and the celebration of Can Gio fishermen with the theme "Echoes of the coastal region" in Can Thanh town. The festival took place from September 16-18. This year, in order to share with the people of the North affected by storm No. 3, some performances and entertainment activities at the festival were cut down, only keeping traditional activities.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Xuan - Vice Chairman of Can Gio District People's Committee, Head of the Organizing Committee of Can Gio Whale Festival 2024.
"Recently, Storm No. 3 made landfall in Vietnam, the strongest storm to hit the East Sea in the past 30 years. Despite efforts to prevent and mitigate damage caused by natural disasters, the northern provinces of our country are still affected by the storm's circulation: heavy rain, landslides, flash floods... causing heavy damage to people and property.
With the spirit of "The whole leaves cover the torn leaves" and mutual love, let's take a moment to look towards our compatriots who are struggling to cope with floods and landslides. All your contributions, big or small, are extremely valuable and meaningful. Each donation will be a small fire, together warming and bringing hope to the suffering lands. Let our Festival become a bright spot, a call to join hands for the community", Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Xuan - Vice Chairman of Can Gio District People's Committee, head of the organizing committee of the Can Gio Whale Festival 2024, called.
Can Gio audiences were satisfied with the lighting control in the program. During the formation of the Can Gio Whale Festival, the program depicted the strong imprint of the journey to the South of the Central region residents, who brought with them many unique cultural and religious beauties to explore the land of Can Gio. When they arrived here, they faced wild jungles, swamps and wild animals, but with perseverance and courage, they transformed nature, turning this wild land into a prosperous place with bustling towns and markets.
When it came to the fundraising part, the organizers were surprised by the situation where many Can Gio children, unable to wait, had to squeeze into the long line of actors and audiences to put their envelopes in the box.
"These past few days, my child has been using my phone to look up information about his friends in Lang Nu. Today, he asked me for 100,000 VND to help his friends in Lang Nu return to school soon. I also hope that everyone out there will recover soon," the student's parent shared.
MC Phuong Thao was emotional in the face of the unexpected situation and always asked the technical staff to support the children by holding them up. According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Xuan, implementing the policy of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on reducing the frequency and scale of festival activities to share difficulties with people affected by storms and floods, the Can Gio Whale Festival in 2024 has been reduced in scale. The festival retains traditional activities such as the flag-raising ceremony, the ceremony to worship the old and kind boatmen, the ceremony to send and receive the Whale on the sea, and the festival to celebrate the achievements of Can Gio fishermen. Performance and entertainment activities in the festival have been reduced.
Ms. Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee led a delegation of officials to collect donations to support flood victims in the North.
Tuong artist Thanh Binh (wearing the king's crown), from the Ho Chi Minh City Tuong Art Theater, shared: "My colleagues and I took a portion of the salary to share with our compatriots in the North. With the spirit of the whole country for the North, I believe that everything will recover quickly. The compatriots in the North are not alone because the whole country is behind us."
Following that, the Whale Rescue segment recounts the legend passed down from generation to generation, gradually crystallizing into the Whale worship tradition, creating a unique feature for the land of Can Gio. From then on, the Can Gio Whale Festival was born, becoming a cultural symbol that not only shows people's gratitude to nature, but also reflects the perseverance and courage of the first generations who made this place a livable place. The Whale Festival is a festival that summarizes a fishing season at sea for fishermen and prepares for a new fishing season with the hope of a bountiful harvest. This is a festival that expresses the sincerity, gratitude, and thanksgiving to the God of the South Sea (the Whale) and the God of the Sea of Can Gio fishermen.
The tray dance attracted the audience and received the most applause. The Can Gio Whale Festival began in the year of Quy Suu 1913 and has been around for 111 years. This year, marking the 11th anniversary of the Can Gio Whale Festival being recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, the festival still retains its values and is increasingly welcomed by the people.
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